Chapter 8 - Evil’s Awakening
A man in silver armor entered a
dark mysterious cave, his armor clanking heavily and
the sword he carried in his hand in a tight grasp. The golden eyes of him shone
faintly in the blackness, like those of an eagle. He walked further into this
rocky place, the light of day gradually disappearing for each step he took.
Quickly, he flicked up a small lantern and lighted it with some fire, spreading
rays of faint yellow over a gigantic statue. The grey stonework reminded him of
that of a giant wild boar. He fell to his knees, removing his helmet in
salutation, his long black hair swiveling over his
face as a chilly wind filled the hall of rock. ‘Salve, oh great power, I awaken
you from your slumber…‘ He plunged the large white blade into the heart of the
boar, darkness filling the sword, making it crumble to ashes in the
process. A blinding light centered on the stone boar’s chest area, around its scar
left by a legendary blade long ago. A roar emerged deep within the cave, a
terrible cry of terror and power. The statue cracked in pieces, a lifeless form
of spirit and shadow burning intensely, filled with dark evil lust which seemed
to suck out all the energy and light around it. Flames of it reflected in the
golden eyes, his first task complete, the warrior smiled in anticipation: ‘He
has awakened…’
Link turned around where he was, in a desolate empty
landscape. He thought for a moment he had sensed something dangerous coming,
but the feeling soon gave way and parted from his mind. He continued on his
way, back to Ordana province. His fur was blown
repeatedly through by hard winds, and he had a bit of a problem running past
the rough terrain. Rain started to drip and fall in slow cascades of wet
showers over him, why had everything suddenly turned so cold and frozen? The
weather had been fine for just a moment ago… the sunlight disappeared from the
sky, covered by dark foreboding clouds, as a cold wind blew across Hyrule.
Things felt dangerous and tense, and Link wanted to get into the comfort of his
home, away from the darkness. Night fell shortly when he finally reached his
home, a house carved out from the trunk of a tree, with a large wooden door,
which had a pair of trademark Ordon goat horns
decorating the top, together with his signature emblem, a triangle on a green
cloth. Link stopped in his tracks, sensing something in the dark. A smell
omitting somewhere in front of him, coming from some nearby trees. He
retransformed very quickly, for he felt human smell among all the other
fragrances around him. Clenching his teeth, as the transformation was painful,
he sighed of tiredness. ‘I shouldn’t transform so often… all my clothes are
soon ripped up…’ ‘Link? Is that you?’ a small, quiet
voice of a girl was heard. He stood, shocked and stiffened. Had someone seen him
retransform? The glance in his eyes grew dark and wolfish, aggressive. ‘Who is there?’ He demanded with a dominant
voice.
‘So, it is you!’ A
short blond-haired girl came out from the shadows, her green eyes shining with
something that looked like affection. ‘Ah…Illia?’
This was something he wasn’t prepared for. Yet, he couldn’t move. She was here
now, his friend once upon a time when they weren’t strangers like it had
evolved to now. Link stood still, not a hint of their past friendship in his
eyes gaze. ‘Where have you been all this time? I haven’t seen you for so long…
She advanced closer towards him, noticing a different aura than that she had
always known. ‘Why…did you leave as soon as you had returned to the village,
Link? I waited and waited, yet you didn’t appear until all the villagers had
gone their separate ways. I—‘You wouldn’t understand, Illia.
Things are different now. I have been through so much that has left lifelong
memories in my shadow. I’m…not the Link you know anymore…’
Illia looked upwards to the night
sky, a serious tone in her voice as she changed the subject:
‘I saw you together with someone someday ago. A woman, she
had long, blond hair and a flowing dress. Who was she? She looked like a noble…
link hesitated even more. Had she seen him together with Zelda? He remembered
that he and Zelda had strolled around the woods one day, quite close to Ordon village. Had Illia spied on
them in the background? Did she even know that that had been the princess of
Hyrule, who he would journey to and offer the sword to as a tribute later on?
‘That woman was princess Zelda.’ ‘T-the princess Zelda, was
that her? Why. Why would she come to Ordon for?’
‘It’s really none of your business, Illia.’ She grew
stunned by his sudden coldness towards her. He had never been like this before.
‘I have to go…Don’t follow me.’ He had become very cold at this moment and
there was a tone of threat in the way he said his words. He disappeared into
his house, leaving her out in the chilly night to fend for herself. ‘…What has
happened to you, Link?’ she thought as she made her way back to her house and
out from Link’s secluded home outside the village center.
‘I’ll talk about this with Beth tomorrow. She’ll probably have answers.’ Illia grew hopeful by this thought and forgot about Link’s
change in attitude towards her.
A new day dawned over Hyrule, the long night falling to an
end for the rays of the glowing sun. Beth woke up early and went out to feed
the goats up at the ranch. ‘Stupid Fado, he’s so
lazy…poor goats need to have food or this village won’t survive.’ She was about
to pick up some more hay, but saw to her surprise Illia
being up as early as she was. ‘Illia, what are you
doing up at this hour? You’re the Mayor’s daughter; you don’t have to be up at
this time.’ ‘Beth, we need to talk about…Link.’ Beth got interested and put
down her heavy load of hay on the ground, sitting by Illia’s
side in the long grass. ‘What about him then?’ ‘He’s different. He has
changed.’ ‘But Illia, you see men are like that
sometimes, they change over time, just like we do. I mean, I too, noticed how
Link changed after we had returned to the village. He has grown quite elusive I
would say…’ Elusive, that doesn’t sound like the Link I know. The Link I know
is always kind, supportive and always by my side…’ Illia
felt a quick sting of blush over her face, Beth smirking at her. ‘I think
someone is in love!!’ ‘No, I’m not!’ ‘Then why the sparkling eyes and – ‘I saw
him together with the princess one day.’ ‘What princess?’ ‘Princess Zelda.’
‘…why would she visit Ordon? Unless…’ Beth turned her gaze away. ‘Unless what?’
‘Forget it, I have an idea. Tonight, meet me behind the spring. I’ll explain
there, I have to work now.’ She got up and quickly left with the rest of her
hay, hearing the goats crying out for their breakfast in the distance.
‘Link…Link…’ ‘Zelda…is it your voice I hear?’ ‘I’m here
now…just for you, my hero.’ A silhouette of Zelda appeared in the dark abyss of
Link’s dream. She looked stunningly beautiful in the darkness, her pale skin
seemingly glowing. She moved slowly, walking step by step closer and closer
towards him. He flinched shocked when he felt her hand on his cheek. It felt
cold, and something was running down where she had her hand. His eyes widened
when he realized it was red crimson blood. ‘Zelda!’ He
looked up, and upon seeing her new appearance, backed away in distress. She
wasn’t the beautiful Zelda, no this was a Zelda covered in blood, wielding a
royal sword which was filled with the same blood on its blade. The lower part
of her dress was also drenched in it; leaving small pools were she stood. The
setting changed to a large vast white space, a trail of green shimmering light
leading up into the blue sky. Snow blew past them, as Link sensed a shadow
behind him. Gone was Zelda, and something large and black made its way towards
him. He pulled out his sword from its scabbard, trying desperately to fight.
But, the shadowy being kept coming at him, seeming invincible against his
attacks. Finally, it rushed up at him and he blocked it with his sword, but the
blade shattered to pieces and Link screamed out as the long fangs of the shadow
beast bit him deeply at his former wound left by Maru…
Link flung up, taking his hand at his chest. Removing his
hand, he saw that there was blood on it. Something had happened. Examining his
wound further, he noticed it healed rather quickly, leaving a large visible
scar. ‘What was that?’ He asked out aloud to himself. ‘Link!
Where are you boy? I need help herding the goat—Ouff!’
‘Fado getting run over by goats again…hurries Link!!’
Beth called up to his open window.
He felt better today. Maybe he should help out more than
just herding goats, because that’s what he mostly did now on his leisure. He
wasn’t that separated from the villagers really, he just wished to hide his
other self from their eyes. Besides, it had been a really long time since he
herded them goats. They probably didn’t think of him as their shepherd anymore,
well he was going to change that! He got up and pulled on his undergarments,
ignoring his shirt. It felt so warm today, and he was going to work after all
so… Sliding down his house ladder, he mounted Epona
and rode to the ranch, his scar all forgotten about, which was seen very
clearly on his tanned muscular chest.
When passing by, he saw Illia, and
he flashed a smile at her, feeling that he had treated her very bad the night
before. Maybe he had taken it out a little too harsh? Upon seeing his smile of
friendliness, Illia couldn’t do anything except smile
back at him. She felt drawn to his beautiful eyes, and couldn’t leave their
gaze… It felt good; it felt like they were friends again somehow. ‘Whatcha smiling for, Illia? Hey Illia! Are you listening?!’ The irritating voice of Talo tried to grab her attention. Malo,
who hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic as his older brother was about Illia’s smile, tumbled his way over to Link, who was quite
far away now from the spectacle. ‘Hey, Link.’ Link brought Epona
to a halt, and turned around in the saddle. ‘Who is it that’s calling my name?’
‘…Down here.’ His gaze came down to the ground, and he saw the Malo, looking quite irritated at him as always. ‘Where’d
you get that?’ He pointed at Link’s large scar. ‘I got it from a battle long
ago,’ Link lied. ‘Humph, that’s strange, seeing as there aren’t any monsters
around here anymore.’ ‘Well, I have to herd some goats now, Malo.
We’ll talk later.’ And Link set off, to Fado’s joy,
herding the stubborn goats into the barn.
Zelda sat alone in her large empty throne room. Sun rays
came down in small thin rays, lighting up random spaces in the otherwise dark
surroundings. She was lost in daydreams about her and Link. It was going to be
so exciting to see his house, the place where he lived this night. They had
arranged it, so he would come and get her and then he would run to Ordana province in wolf form with her on his back of
course. Strange how Maru and his soldiers hadn’t been
seen all day, not that she cared anyway. Zelda’s thoughts drifted away from
royal boring duties to Link. She could never forsake him; he meant so much for
her. She sighed, feeling a slight desire to feel his lips on hers once again.
Feeling his touch on her, looking into his deep dark blue beautiful eyes…
‘Soon, Illia, it is time. I want
to take a gander at that royal myself.’ Beth looked really proud for some
reason when she said that, and Illia couldn’t
understand why they had to spy at Link at night, they had never done that
before. Not that she ever had done that before. Spying at him that is, when he
didn’t notice. That Zelda woman, who was she really? What did she mean to him?
He always seemed to be more happy than usual sometimes. Maybe he had gone to
see her. She found something new in her that time before the night. A dark
feeling that grew in her heart, envy. What if…he had a relationship deeper with
that Zelda than with her? Night fell, and another day had passed…